Tunisia’s Ben Ali sentenced in absentia to 35 years

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi

TUNIS (Reuters) – A Tunisian court sentenced former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in absentia yesterday to 35 years in jail, six months after his overthrow in a revolution helped to inspire the “Arab Spring”.

Ben Ali, who has been in Saudi Arabia since he was forced from power, was found guilty after just one day of deliberation of theft